8 Days in Japan
Day 1: First Times and First Impressions
Konichiwa to all my fellow Youchewers, and gomenasai for the delay! This is the beginning of a blog series in which I talk about my trip to Japan. While I wish I wrote each segment as their respective days passed, I was not able to due to a combination of jet lag and time constraints; therefore, I will be recalling each event after the fact. In spite of this, I wish you enjoy reading about my experiences in the amazing country of Japan!
The beginning of my trip was uneventful: I woke up at the crack of dawn, left the house with my brother and dad, met my mom and aunt at the Denny's close to LAX, got help from the latter pair in carrying my luggage and arranging my plane reservation, and said my last goodbyes as I disappeared into the security line. Unlike the beginning of my birthright tour, I did not miss my flight, and everything else went without a hitch. I did not even have to deal with layovers, as the plane flew straight to Tokyo (Narita Airport).
In fact, it was a direct flight like this one that inspired me to go on this trip. The year before, when I waited for a plane to JFK Airport after missing my proper reservation, I looked at the gate to Tokyo and thought, “Wow, look at how close Japan really is! All I would need to do is buy the appropriate ticket, walk down that taxi, and be on my way there!” To be finally experiencing this was one of the biggest thrills of my life. And there I was, taking my first few steps on the country of Japan:
It was when I set foot on Japan when the gaijin moments began happening. At first, I was in the wrong area thinking I was in customs (it was for connecting flights), and panicked when I couldn't find my boarding pass. When I was guided to the right area, I frustrated someone from the immigration checkpoint with my fumbling of the notes, then messed up again at bag inspection when I pulled up my suitcase without having filled more notes. Because this was my first time traveling alone, and did so in an unfamiliar country, I knew that I would make a handful of mistakes by the end of the trip. That did not make them any less embarrassing, and that was all the more motivation to learn from them.
When I reached the end of the terminal, I met my English-speaking assistant, who gave me all my itineraries, schedules, and other important papers; she also told me details on both the bus ride to my hotel in Tokyo as well as general plans for everything thereafter. She was a huge help: she gave me reassurance on any ambiguities in my schedule, as well as guidance on the first leg of my trip before sending me off to travel on my own.
It was during the bus ride when the first impressions began to strike, and they were certainly powerful. The hills and rice patties were not unlike the ones seen in My Neighbor Totoro, decorated in trees, roads, and houses. Had I known I would have seen this already, I would have had my camera out and ready to take pictures. However, it would have been difficult anyway from a moving vehicle.
Going into the city, I was awed by its stimulating sights. Even before arriving in the main city, the bus passed through an industrial district that was decorated with neon signs. Soon after, the bus passed by Tokyo Disneyland and its ambient nighttime lighting, as well as the ferris wheels and their vibrant color displays. When the bus finally did reach the main city, I saw that Shinagawa Station – just a small part of Tokyo – was as brightly lit and colorful as New York's Times Square; imagine what every other station must look like!
When the bus finally reached my stop, I was too burdened by my luggage to stop anywhere else than my hotel. After making a wrong stop at a hotel of the same brand, I proceeded to walk further to my actual hotel. Because I did not show my itinerary to the cashier at first, they assumed I did not have a reservation and gave me a huge price tag that I knew I did not have the yen to pat for. Because I knew something was off, I scrambled for my itinerary and quickly resolved the situation.
After this ordeal as well as the sleepless travels beforehand, I was too exhausted to even have dinner: I only wanted to clean up and go to sleep. By 8 PM, I did just that... only to be woken up by an earthquake at 2 in the morning!
When it first struck, my first though was, “Is it just me?” When I realized that it was not, and that the building really was swiveling back and forth, my next thought was, “Just my luck. It's only my first day in Japan, and already I'm going to be caught in a natural disaster. Good thing I have travel insurance.” In spite of the earthquake's magnitude (7.1), the only thing that came of it were surprised exclamations of others from the rooms next to mine: the city continued its business as if nothing happened.
It was this moment that made me realize just how adapted Japan was for earthquakes: this nation has lived on the most active part of the Ring of Fire for thousands of years, so naturally they would learn to construct their buildings to withstand even the strongest earthquakes. This thought made me fall back asleep in reassurance... only to be woken up an hour later by my well-meaning family trying to call me.
It was a long night, but considering how tired I was, it was better than no rest.
Day 1: First Times and First Impressions
Konichiwa to all my fellow Youchewers, and gomenasai for the delay! This is the beginning of a blog series in which I talk about my trip to Japan. While I wish I wrote each segment as their respective days passed, I was not able to due to a combination of jet lag and time constraints; therefore, I will be recalling each event after the fact. In spite of this, I wish you enjoy reading about my experiences in the amazing country of Japan!
The beginning of my trip was uneventful: I woke up at the crack of dawn, left the house with my brother and dad, met my mom and aunt at the Denny's close to LAX, got help from the latter pair in carrying my luggage and arranging my plane reservation, and said my last goodbyes as I disappeared into the security line. Unlike the beginning of my birthright tour, I did not miss my flight, and everything else went without a hitch. I did not even have to deal with layovers, as the plane flew straight to Tokyo (Narita Airport).
In fact, it was a direct flight like this one that inspired me to go on this trip. The year before, when I waited for a plane to JFK Airport after missing my proper reservation, I looked at the gate to Tokyo and thought, “Wow, look at how close Japan really is! All I would need to do is buy the appropriate ticket, walk down that taxi, and be on my way there!” To be finally experiencing this was one of the biggest thrills of my life. And there I was, taking my first few steps on the country of Japan:
It was when I set foot on Japan when the gaijin moments began happening. At first, I was in the wrong area thinking I was in customs (it was for connecting flights), and panicked when I couldn't find my boarding pass. When I was guided to the right area, I frustrated someone from the immigration checkpoint with my fumbling of the notes, then messed up again at bag inspection when I pulled up my suitcase without having filled more notes. Because this was my first time traveling alone, and did so in an unfamiliar country, I knew that I would make a handful of mistakes by the end of the trip. That did not make them any less embarrassing, and that was all the more motivation to learn from them.
When I reached the end of the terminal, I met my English-speaking assistant, who gave me all my itineraries, schedules, and other important papers; she also told me details on both the bus ride to my hotel in Tokyo as well as general plans for everything thereafter. She was a huge help: she gave me reassurance on any ambiguities in my schedule, as well as guidance on the first leg of my trip before sending me off to travel on my own.
It was during the bus ride when the first impressions began to strike, and they were certainly powerful. The hills and rice patties were not unlike the ones seen in My Neighbor Totoro, decorated in trees, roads, and houses. Had I known I would have seen this already, I would have had my camera out and ready to take pictures. However, it would have been difficult anyway from a moving vehicle.
Going into the city, I was awed by its stimulating sights. Even before arriving in the main city, the bus passed through an industrial district that was decorated with neon signs. Soon after, the bus passed by Tokyo Disneyland and its ambient nighttime lighting, as well as the ferris wheels and their vibrant color displays. When the bus finally did reach the main city, I saw that Shinagawa Station – just a small part of Tokyo – was as brightly lit and colorful as New York's Times Square; imagine what every other station must look like!
When the bus finally reached my stop, I was too burdened by my luggage to stop anywhere else than my hotel. After making a wrong stop at a hotel of the same brand, I proceeded to walk further to my actual hotel. Because I did not show my itinerary to the cashier at first, they assumed I did not have a reservation and gave me a huge price tag that I knew I did not have the yen to pat for. Because I knew something was off, I scrambled for my itinerary and quickly resolved the situation.
After this ordeal as well as the sleepless travels beforehand, I was too exhausted to even have dinner: I only wanted to clean up and go to sleep. By 8 PM, I did just that... only to be woken up by an earthquake at 2 in the morning!
When it first struck, my first though was, “Is it just me?” When I realized that it was not, and that the building really was swiveling back and forth, my next thought was, “Just my luck. It's only my first day in Japan, and already I'm going to be caught in a natural disaster. Good thing I have travel insurance.” In spite of the earthquake's magnitude (7.1), the only thing that came of it were surprised exclamations of others from the rooms next to mine: the city continued its business as if nothing happened.
It was this moment that made me realize just how adapted Japan was for earthquakes: this nation has lived on the most active part of the Ring of Fire for thousands of years, so naturally they would learn to construct their buildings to withstand even the strongest earthquakes. This thought made me fall back asleep in reassurance... only to be woken up an hour later by my well-meaning family trying to call me.
It was a long night, but considering how tired I was, it was better than no rest.